Former Czech Prime Minister and presidential candidate Andrej Babis on Monday called into question NATO’s principle of mutual defense ahead of the second round of presidential elections scheduled for this weekend.
His words, which have raised controversy, took place during a televised debate in which he assured that he will not send Czech military to Poland even if the Polish territory is attacked. «No. I want peace, not war. In no case will I send our children to war,» he assured, also ruling out sending troops to Baltic countries in case of an attack.
Babis will face former NATO general Petr Pavel in the second round. The polls put Pavel ahead with 58.8 percent of the support against Babis’ 41.2 percent.
Pavel, for his part, rejected Babis’ words and reiterated NATO Article 5, which states that an attack on one NATO member represents an attack on all NATO nations. Thus, he assured that «if we are members of such an organization, it is not only to benefit from collective security but also to contribute ourselves».
The deputy prime minister of the country, Ivan Bartos, warned in a message on his Twitter account that Babis’ words «represent a concrete and direct damage for the country», as well as a «betrayal for the allies» of the Czech Republic.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, Petr Fiala, has called for moderation in the framework of the electoral campaign in order «not to damage the interests of the country». Babis, for his part, backed down shortly afterwards and stressed that he would «comply with Article 5 of NATO if a real attack were to occur».
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
